New Delhi [India], September 9 : As the African Union has been made a permanent member of the Group of 20 countries under India’s presidency, Chair B20 India Action Council on African Economic Integration and Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for having successfully led the inclusion of the bloc.
African Union is a bloc of 55 countries from the African continent that was launched in 2002.
“As this announcement finds its way from New Delhi to the world, I am certain that this day will be remembered as a defining milestone towards charting more inclusive compositions across international organizations and their bodies,” Mittal said minutes after the AU got its membership in the G20.
“I have personally witnessed the government’s uncompromising focus on this inclusion through my engagement as Chair of the B20 Action Council on African Economic Integration, and am delighted that the G20 formed a consensus on this necessary first step towards a more participative AU in the global order,” Mittal added.
The B20 under the G20 forum strived to offer extensive support to include the African Union and make it a success and work towards African economic development.
In his opening remarks at the 18th G20 Leaders’ Summit, happening in New Delhi Saturday-Sunday, PM Modi invited the AU, represented by Chairperson Azali Assoumani, to take a seat at the table of G20 leaders as a permanent member.
"With everyone's approval, I request the AU head to take his seat as a permanent G20 member," PM Modi said in his initial address. Soon after, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar accosted the President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Azali Assoumani as he took his seat among world leaders.
Adding the African Union as a member of G20 was among India's key aims to achieve during the ongoing G20 summit. In June 2023, Prime Minister Modi said that he had written to G20 counterparts to provide the African Union with full membership at this G20 Summit.
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